Articles Posted in Fatal Motorcycle Accidents

In the latest of a string of fatal motorcycle accidents that have plagued Maryland, one man is dead after he ran into a car that was making a left turn in front of him. According to a report by one local news source, the accident occurred on Route 29 in Nelson County last Saturday morning.

Evidently, a man on a Harley Davidson was heading north on Route 29 when a southbound driver attempted to make a left-hand turn in front of the biker. Unfortunately, the driver was mistaken in his judgment, and the motorcyclist had no time to react and hit the side of the car.

The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident by emergency responders. The driver of the car was not injured in the accident at all. However, he was charged with reckless driving for his role in causing the fatal motorcycle accident.

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Earlier this week, a tragic motorcycle accident took the life of a young man from Southeastern DC. According to a report by ABC 7, the accident occurred last Thursday in the late morning near the intersection of Good Hope Road and 16th Street SE.

Evidently, the motorcyclist was heading east on Good Hope Road when an SUV traveling west on the same road attempted to make a left turn in front of the biker. However, the SUV apparently cut off the biker, leaving him with little choice but to run into the side of the SUV.

The young motorcyclist was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Unfortunately, he did not survive and was pronounced dead shortly after he was admitted. Good Hope Road was closed for several hours while investigators tried to piece together the accident and determine who may have been at fault.

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Earlier this week in Chicago, a man was issued a citation for his involvement in the death of an off-duty police officer who was killed in a motorcycle accident. According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, the officer was riding on the highway when the driver of a Pontiac attempted to make an abrupt lane change to avoid missing an approaching exit.

As the driver shifted into the off-duty officer’s lane, he left the officer with no way to avoid a collision. The Pontiac crashed into the officer’s motorcycle, sending the officer off the bike and severely injuring him. The officer was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The driver of the Pontiac, who remained on the scene after the accident, was issued a citation for improper lane usage as well as for having no valid insurance.

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Earlier this year near the Maryland-Pennsylvania border, a motorcyclist was killed when another vehicle crossed the center line on a highway and crashed into him. According to a recent report, police have apprehended the driver of the vehicle and charged him with homicide by vehicle, causing an accident involving death while not properly licensed, driving while operating privileges are suspended, driving without a valid license, reckless driving, careless driving causing death, and failure to drive on the right side of the road.

Evidently, the accident occurred on Barrett Pike near Garrett Road when the driver of a

mini-van that was heading south crossed over into northbound traffic. As the van entered the lanes of opposing traffic, the driver collide with the motorcyclist, fatally injuring him.

As it turns out, the driver of the van was from Mexico, and was not legally in the country. The judge denied the man bail and he currently awaits his trial date.

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Over the holiday weekend last week, two motorcyclists were killed in two different motorcycle accidents across Maryland. According to a report by WUSA 9, the first accident took place in Silver Spring, at the intersection of University Avenue and Dennis Avenue. Evidently, the motorcyclist was thrown from his bike when he hit a curb. The biker died from the injuries he sustained in the accident.

The second accident occurred in Burtonsville, and it involved an SUV as well as a motorcycle. Apparently, the SUV was making a left turn and collided with the motorcycle. The rider was thrown from the bike and suffered only minor injuries. However, his passenger suffered much more serious injuries and was pronounced dead later that day. The driver of the SUV suffered only minor injuries.

Determining Fault is Not As Easy As it May Seem

In Maryland motorcycle accidents, the fault determination is critical not just to decide who is issued a traffic citation for the accident, but also for the purposes of upcoming civil litigation. Indeed, the victim of the accident will likely be able to recover for their injuries from the person or people who are determined to be at fault. Thus, who is the “victim” in a motorcycle accident is of critical importance.

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Last month in Prince George’s County, one man was killed when the motorcycle he was riding crashed into another car after he ran a red light. According to a report by ABC 7, the motorcyclist was fleeing from the police when he ran a red light and T-boned a Hyundai that was going through a green light and making a left turn in the intersection. The accident occurred on Route 214.

The motorcyclist flew off the bike and onto the pavement, sustaining several trauma-related injuries. He was then taken to the hospital, where he died shortly afterward. The driver of the Hyundai was not injured in the accident, but he was found to be driving while intoxicated. Police arrested the man, although he was not at fault for the collision.

The motorcycle death marked the eighth over Memorial Day weekend, a period of unusually high motorcycle activity. Despite the fact that there are many motorcycles on the road, eight motorcyclist deaths over a single weekend is still a surprisingly high number.

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It’s getting to be mid-spring, and the weather is getting nicer with each passing week. With the increase in temperatures comes an increase in the number of people getting out on the road and opening up the throttle on the motorcycle that has been in storage for the past eight months. However, tragically, with this increase in motorcycle traffic comes a corresponding increase in motorcycle accidents.

According to a report by 4 NBC Washington, last week in Prince George’s County there were four fatal motorcycle accidents claiming the lives of four riders. One of the victims was riding when a SUV made a U-turn in the middle of the road without yielding to the rider. With no other option, the rider collided with the SUV. Although he was promptly taken to the hospital, doctors were unable to save the man’s life, and he died shortly after being admitted.

There were three other fatal motorcycle accidents in Prince George’s County over Memorial Day weekend. One was caused by another failure-to-yield situation, one by a speeding car fleeing the police, and the other by rider error.

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Earlier this week in Charles County, a fatal motorcycle accident claimed the life of one man when he struck the rear side panel of a car that was turning left in front of him. According to a report by Southern Maryland News Net, the accident occurred on Brandywine Road and Carriage Crossing Lane shortly before 8:30 in the evening on May 16th.

Evidently, a Mercedes was heading south on Brandywine Road and was attempting to make a left turn when it was struck in the side rear panel by a Honda motorcycle heading north on Brandywine Road. A third vehicle, a PT Cruiser, also became involved when it ran into some debris caused by the accident.

Emergency crews responded immediately, but the driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene. The other two drivers were not transported to the hospital and did not suffer any serious injuries.

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Earlier this week in Washington Township, Pennsylvania, a man was killed when a truck turned left in front of the motorcycle he was operating. According to a report by Your4State.com, a 2008 Chevy Silverado truck turned in front of a motorcyclist traveling on Buchanan Trail East.

Evidently, the truck was turning into a restaurant parking lot when the motorcycle ran into the side of the truck. The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not yet determined who was legally at fault for the accident, and an investigation is ongoing.

Left-Turn Motorcycle Accidents

One of the most common types of motorcycle accidents is a left-turn accident. Specifically, a left-turn accident occurs when a motorcyclist is traveling straight ahead and a car turns (usually left) in front of the motorcyclist. Most often, motorcyclists do not have the time or the braking capacity to come to a compete stop before slamming into the side of the car.

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Earlier last month, a man was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle after bumping into a Volkswagen. According to a report by WTOP, the motorcyclist was heading south on I-95 in Prince George’s County when the accident occurred. Evidently, the motorcyclist was traveling at a high rate of speed when he bumped into the Volkswagen and then lost control. Once he lost control, he fell off the bike and landed in the middle of the highway, where he was then struck by a passing tractor-trailer.

Police do not yet have any firm answers on what caused the accident, however, an in-depth investigation was conducted and a result is expected soon.

Motorcycle Accidents in Maryland: Not Always Cut and Dry

Reading the article mentioned above, it may seem easy to come to the conclusion that the motorcyclist was at fault for the accident because he was traveling at a “high rate of speed.” However, to assign blame so easily is to oversimplify the matter.

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